Loaded gun found in Roosevelt High School student’s backpack, police say

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 16-year-old Des Moines Roosevelt High School student was taken into police custody Monday morning after staff at the school found a loaded handgun in his backpack.

Sgt. Paul Parizek with the Des Moines Police Department said officers were called to Roosevelt around 9:30 a.m. after the 9mm handgun had been safely removed from the backpack. An email provided to WHO 13 by DMPS, and sent to Roosevelt families about the incident, said the gun was confiscated during a meeting with the student and their family Monday morning.

In the statement, the school’s principal, Steven Schappaugh said, “The student was under supervision the entire time they were in the building and at no time were other students in any danger.”

The preliminary investigation into the incident didn’t find evidence of any threats toward students or staff, according to Sgt. Parizek.

The teen has been referred to juvenile court on offenses of carrying firearms on school grounds (Class D Felony) and possession of dangerous weapons and loaded firearms by minors (Serious Misdemeanor).

DMPD continues to investigate the incident.

You can read the complete letter to parents from Roosevelt High School’s principal below:

“Earlier this morning our staff confiscated a handgun off of a student during a meeting with the student and their family. The student was under supervision the entire time they were in the building and at no time were other students in any danger.

I am thankful to our staff who used our available resources and training to quickly assess the situation and resolve it without incident. We are grateful to our public safety team and DMPD for their quick response and assistance today.

We did utilize our standard response protocol and go on a hold for a few minutes so the student could exit the building with police and lifted it as soon as the police were leaving campus. The hold did not disrupt classroom activities.

We take the safety and security of our students seriously. Our camera systems, training in de-escalation, partnership with public safety personnel, and our student support team’s positive relationships and rapport with students help us navigate these situations.

This can be an alarming experience for students, and as always, our counselors are ready to support.”

Steven Schappaugh, Principal of Roosevelt High School

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